Report 399
Report #399 Skillset: Nekotai Skill: FinalSting Org: Nekotai Status: Completed Jun 2010 Furies' Decision: Bleeding added. Problem: In an environment where timed instakills are dominating the battlefield, FinalSting is a largely unusable Transcendent skill. Used in the intended method, the skill costs 5 power and 1 momentum to cause an affliction which will only stack with escozul, and cures on a 1.5 second timer. In the situations where it's possible to get FinalSting off (i.e., the target is choked, or the target has been greenlocked and does not know Green,) it is more efficient to just bleed the victim to death (at a cost of no momentum, no power loss.) Also, barring alterations to the function of Sprongcree (see Report 380) there will only be one or two chances to actually land a FinalSting, and keeping a FinalSting in reserve limits a Nekotai's combat options. In summary, FinalSting is in need of improvement to function in either solo or group capacity. 0 R: 0 Solution #1: In addition to its current effects, add a delay on the poison afflicted via FinalSting, akin to the delay on regeneration affs. Alternatively, change the afflicted poison to a regeneration cure. 0 R: 0 Solution #2: Add a significant bleeding effect to FinalSting. Amount should be similar to bleeding from sprongma at momentum 5, with a possible bonus from number of vessels on the target. This will allow for some utility without the dart. 0 R: 0 Solution #3: Change FinalSting to be an instant death on hit if 4 out of 7 Angknek afflictions are on the target at the time of hit. Angknek afflictions are sliced left/right bicep, sliced left/right thigh, punctured lung, sliced gut, and gashed cheek, all marjoram cures. At 1500 ka with no dart requirement, this should be plausible, if somewhat difficult to pull off solo and allow for a certain amount of synergy with other Nekotai and some warriors. Player Comments: ---on 6/28 @ 19:53 writes: Finalsting resolves too fast for solution 1 imo. I like the idea behind solution 3, but I think monks with tempered kata weapons are a little too fast for it to be balanced. You could get all 4 affs plus poisons and kicks within the span of one shieldstun. ---on 6/28 @ 20:24 writes: For solution 3, you still have to kick afterwards... that's mo5 plus 5 power and its own action. I'd be willing to have it do 5 out of 7 instead if 4 isn't enough. ---on 6/30 @ 17:48 writes: With solution 3, wouldn't that make sprongcree darts even less used than they already are? Also, I don't really get how solution 2 makes much of a change except for the bonus to vessels... couldn't you just use a 5mo sprongma to get that bleeding? ---on 6/30 @ 18:25 writes: Sprongma only targets gut and chest, while FinalSting can go anywhere. As for sprongcree darts being less used than they already are, I am perfectly happy with that outcome. No other monk guild has that sort of limiter on what's supposed to be an important skill, and recent sprongcree changes have only made it slightly more plausible to use the existing FinalSting in situations with multiple targets.